History was created yesterday when for the first time paediatric open heart surgeries were performed in Guyana at the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) by a visiting team of experts from New York through a joint public/private sector venture.
Three children between the ages of one and eleven had some of the more complex surgeries performed yesterday and according Director of CHI, Dr Gary Stephen, another was expected to be operated on last night.
It is hoped that another four children will benefit in two to three days’ time.
Speaking to the media last evening, Dr Stephen described the venture that made the surgeries possible as a good example of government/private sector co-operation in trying to make things “happen for the children in Guyana.”
“In this project it was the quickest I ever saw the government work; I got a response from in two hours from the time we made the request; I don’t know how, but it happened,” Dr Stephen said.
He described US-based Guyanese George Subhraj, who owns a real estate business, as the “biggest sponsor” in the venture that is expected to cost some US$50,000.
The Government of Guyana has also pitched in and Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday told Stabroek News that his ministry contributed US$20,000. The ministry on Friday issued an urgent call for blood to facilitate the surgeries and according to the minister on Saturday alone 22 and 30 units of blood were donated in Georgetown and Berbice respectively. He said that his staff had been “working constantly and persons had been responding well.
‘Signal moment’
Describing the surgeries as “signal moment for us,” Dr Stephen pointed out that paediatric open heart surgeries were not like the ones performed on adults, as they were “so much more technically difficult, so much more involved.”
The CHI director said if paediatric surgeries could be done twice a year in Guyana it would “be a huge deal – 18 children; if we can complete twice a year that will be more than enough.”
The children undergoing surgery yesterday were 11-year-old Nirvanie Browne; Keandra Daniels, one-year-old; and nine-year-old Bharrat Narine.
Dr Stephen explained that the first surgery performed was a pulmonary stenosis where there was a severe obstruction to the heart’s attempt to pump blood to the lungs. The second case was a tetralogy, said to be one of the most complex surgeries, where there is a combination of a hole in the heart with obstructed blood flow. The third case was an atrial sepal defect, which is a large hole between the left and right chambers of the heart.
Dr Sheel Vatsia, who lead the team of 14, explaining the surgeries, said his team was surgically correcting a number of heart defects with which the children had been born, and the range of defects was “fairly diverse.” However, most if not corrected would result in the premature death of the child.
“Many of these children ideally should have had their operative procedures done years ago, so it is already a delayed time to intervene… and that in itself can give rise to a more technically challenging recovery and a somewhat higher risk at the time depending on the individual, but so far everything has worked out fine,” Dr Vatsia said.
The surgeon said most of the children would be fine after the surgeries, even though it would be “nice if they would have a little bit of follow-up early on, but I think most of these kids would be well in the long term.”
‘Dreams’
Dr Stephen said from the inception of CHI it was one of their “dreams” to undertake paediatric heart surgeries in Guyana, and while over the years the institute had done a few paediatric cases, those involving “closing through the groin without surgery – we have never had that capability.”
Giving a background to his institute linking with Dr Vatsia and his team, Dr Stephen said it was about a year ago he met the surgeon at a cocktail party and it was through a conversation between the two that led to groundbreaking surgeries being conducted. He explained that Dr Vatsia and his group had gone to many different countries performing such surgeries.
It was three months ago that the institute’s cardiology unit screened the prospective patients and a list of patients was also provided by Subhraj’s Guyana Watch, which was combined with the list the institute had; from this 11 children were selected.
According to Dr Stephen in reaching out businessman Subhraj, he “bought tickets for the entire group, and I must say we travelled in style and we have been well treated.”
In a brief comment, Subhraj explained that he is from Guyana, has “done well” and believes that giving is divine. He said he had been returning to Guyana with Guyana Watch since 1992 on a yearly basis, and had met Dr Stephan and indicated to him that he wanted to help the institute in a major way.
“I will do it again, again; we came with nothing and we leave with nothing. I have been personally blessed in more than what I need and there are a lot of people who have less than what they need. Before I leave this planet I feel I should give back something. Good giving, like I said before, is divine and that is the sole purpose I am doing what I am doing,” the businessman said.
The others businesses and institutes that contributed to make the surgeries possible include the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI), Digicel, Laparkan Shipping, the Pegasus Hotel, Lake Persaud and Pastor Graham and the World Vision Church.
